May 18, (THEWILL) – The fate of members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), who made a u-turn on their political ambitions and continue to serve in the current administration, would be decided by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said this while responding to questions from State House Correspondents at the end of the FEC meeting, presided over by President Buhari on Wednesday.
He said he will need to confirm from the President, about the status of the returning Ministers, on whether or not they have been reabsorbed into the cabinet.
Buhari had directed all ministers and other public officials interested in contesting the 2023 general elections to resign on or before May 16th, 2022.
While about 10 of the Ministers had indicated interest to run for the presidency and gubernatorial positions, some rescinded their ambition, to return to the Federal Executive Council to complete their tenure.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and Minister of State for Petroleum, Timpre Sylva, have rescinded their decision to contest for elective offices in 2023.
On Wednesday, at the FEC meeting presided by President Buhari, some of the ministers were in attendance.
THEWILL had reported that Malami was physically present at the Council’s meeting while Tallen, Sylva attended the meeting virtually from their various offices in Abuja.
Ngige is reported to be on an official visit to South Africa, where he is attending the International Labour Organisation (ILO) global conference on Child Labour in Durban.
On the status of the returning Ministers, if they had been reabsorbed into the cabinet, Mohammed said, “on the other question about ministers returning or not going, I think you need to give me more time so that I can tell you exactly what the situation is.
“Right now, I need to cross-check. I need to confirm again from Mr President what the situation is. I think, the final decision on who is going, who’s coming back? Who’s not going lies with the President.”
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